2023 Riesling Brauneberger Juffer Spätlese

Oliver Haag continues his trajectory of slender, slate-driven Rieslings of lovely nuance and elegance. “Two thousand twenty-three was a demanding year,” he says, “but ‘demanding’ also means interesting. The key in 2023 was selective hand-harvesting. Each and every bunch had to be inspected.” Haag notes that the rains in late August and September gave the wines “Saft und Kraft,” i.e., juice and vigor, but the warm temperatures also meant that rot was a constant scourge. Like many of his colleagues, he observes that it was hard for the pickers to tell good from bad botrytis. Haag hired ten more pickers than usual, as selection takes time, and time was of the essence. For a moment, he feared that the wines might become too alcoholic, having had both sunshine and water, but he need not have worried—the wines are as elegant, bright and slender as ever. His Spätlesen are a joy, and his Auslesen are a triumph.